I have this theory that if every one in world was to be trained by their mama from the time they first discovered they could take their own clothes off - to not leave them on the floor - basically to clean up after their own self - that we would not have the problems here on the planet we seem to be facing.
I tell young mothers, when I know them well enough, to be able to offer a piece of unsolicited advice what a valuable trait it would be to have young people of both genders be willing to clean up after themselves. From the time they can sit upright in a bath tub - they are definitely old enough to pick up there tiny little articles of clothing and put them in a laundry basket. No reason they cannot match their wee little clean socks together when they come out of the dryer too! But just to train them up to know that they are responsible for keeping their clothes up off the floor - that mama won't spend the rest of her life picking up after them, putting the dirty dishes in the washer, reminding them to get their chores/homework done - practice for the Real World of independent living. And guys are as capable as girls by the time they are in six in telling red from white, and dark from light to help sort the laundry.
If people climbing Mt. Everest 'just because it is there' were to have to figure out how to get all their trash back down the mountain before they ever took the first step (including personal waste products) as well as all those cylinders of oxygen they use to make that crazy climb - they would be much less likely to leave their trash in their wake.
If people who can afford to drink the beer, go through the drive-in fast-food window would just keep their trash in the car until they get home, instead of being so thoughtless, I would not be out there in my front yard picking up the wrappers and empties that get dumped on the right of way. And blown into my yard. I am pretty faithful about recycling my own trash, but have no desire to be the one to be picking up after strangers, to put their empty soda/beer cans and bottles out for the city to pick up. If you have the resources to make the purchase, have to courtesy to take your trash with you. Your mama don' t work here.
I see indifferent uncaring kids in school lunch rooms all the time, dropping trash, food, milk cartons on floor and adults whose specific job it is to pick up, wipe down,sweep after they finish their lunches. I am all for having them all take a turn as the cleaners. It might make them so aggravated to have to clean up after other sloppy people, they would realize they need to be self-policing. All those kids are learning is that it is ok to live like pigs. I am almost certain that they are not allowed to drop food on the floor at home, leave eating utensils on the table every day and spill cartons of milk with no consequences. There is absolutely no need whatsoever for us to be paying adults in janitorial positions to clean up after other people's kids in the public schools.
You gotta instill the self-discipline, just like they are not born knowing manners and how to say 'please' and 'thank you'. You gotta be present, willing to be the enforcer, willing to invest the time in following up, being consistent with seeing they do the job the right way, until they do it without the reminder. You gotta be willing to be the nagging mother/adult who is the person who makes them come back and re-do when they roll their eyes, try to take the short-cut, half-way effective, until they realize there are no shortcuts, and You will be calling them back to do it over... like we all learned: When we rolled our own eyes, and heard a thousand times: "if you are going to do it, you might as well go ahead and do it right the first time".
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